I can't Remember You
by Pen99
Summary: Marceline and the Ice king have a past that only she remembers. Subconsciously, the Ice king is drawn not only to Marceline, but to Betty's grave. When the two of them explore forgotten pasts, emotions are sure to spill out. (Some Finn and Jake as well)


It was late afternoon on the eve of a storm. Finn and Jake stood facing the windless sky, eyes on the horizon, waiting for nature's wrath. A black speck appeared above the layer of fog, growing larger as it approached.

"Man, what's that up there?"

Finn scanned the sky to see what Jake was looking at.

"No idea," Said Finn. "Wana go check it out?"

Jake grabbed Finn around the waist and shot up above the layer of mist. It was clear as day now; the Ice King was floating across the sky. A look of determination was pinned on his face, which caused Finn and Jake to become immediately suspicious.

"Hey Ice King," Finn shouted. "Where are you going!?"

The Ice king didn't even flinch.

"Hey!" Jake barked. "We're talking to you!"

Nothing.

"Do you really think he can't hear us?" Finn asked.

"Naw man, he's probably just up to something no good."

"If you think so…"

Jake shrunk back down to normal size and put Finn down on the ground. Small rain drops began to fall on their heads, so they ran inside the tree house for cover. After they were safely inside Finn let out a huge yawn.

"Aww man," Finn said. "I'm totes ready for a nap. You coming Jake?"

"WHAT? NO Finn, we need to find out what's up with the Ice king!"

"Ice King. Spice King. Nice King. Rice King." Finn mumbled.

"Finn!" Jake whined. "Now you're not making sense!"

As they argued, the storm began to pick up outside. The wind picked up and the sky grew black. A window on the far wall burst open and a gust of wind entered the room. Alongside this gust of wind was Marceline the Vampire Queen.

"Hey Finn. Hey Jake." She said causally.

"Hi Marci." Finn said. "Um... why are you here?"

Marceline laughed a cruel laugh and shut the window behind her.

"Is it a crime to stop in and say hello?"

"I guess not." Said Jake.

Marceline floated over to where Finn was standing and sunk into the couch beside him.

"So what's up with you guys?"

"Not much." Responded Finn. "We were going after the ice king, but then this storm picked up."

Marceline immediately became more alert. She calmed herself down and took on a disconcerted tone.

"Oh. Where was he headed?"

Finn had always been curious about the connection between the Ice king and Marceline, but he preferred to have his head attached to his body, so he decided to leave the subject alone.

"Ummm… He was headed west to the ocean, I think." Finn shivered, he did not like the ocean. "There must have been something seriously wrong with him because he didn't even flinch when we called out."

"Yah." Jake said. "He was bananas."

Marceline's eyes filled with terror.

"Wait!" Marceline screamed. "He was headed to the ocean? You mean on the far side of Ooo?"

"That's the one." Said Jake.

"What's the dig deal Marci?" asked Finn.

"I have to go." She announced hastily. "Don't catch up."

Marceline tore out the window, l leaving it ajar. Finn scratched his head and looked at Jake.

"I wonder what that was about?" asked Finn.

"I don't know man." Responded Jake. "Girls can sure be crazy sometimes. Anyway, Marci is going to take care of the Ice King, we can take that nap if you want."

"Heck ya man. Let's get some coco first. Then we can get snug like bugs on a—"

Finn let out a huge yawn and his eyes drooped.

"Rug." Jake whispered as he carried Finn upstairs to their room.

Marceline was up high now, racing against the pouring rain and the impending darkness.

"Simon?" she called into the velvet sheet. "Simon!"

A few more minutes passed before Marceline reached her destination. She descended slowly on to a small cliff overlooking the violent sea. It was hard to hear anything above the crashing waves and the whipping wind, but to her right she saw a faint glow. She walked a few feet over to a white gate that lead into a field of stones and flowers.

A grave yard.

"Simon?" She called gently again.

There was no answer, but Marceline was not worried. She knew exactly where she would find her friend.

"Ice King? Simon?"

Marceline's heart beat with sadness when she saw a blue glow crouched over a small slab of stone. The ice king was on his knees leaning over a rain soaked grave. When Marceline came closer, the Ice King lifted his head.

"Marceline?" he stuttered. "What—"

"Are you doing here?" She finished. "Do you know where you are?"

"I—I—no I don't think I've ever been here, but something about this place seems—"

"familiar. I know. Simo—I mean Ice King?"

"yah?"

"Do you know who this belongs to?"

Marceline pointed to the grave the Ice king was hunched over. He eyed it warily for a moment and then with great regret shook his head.

"I don't know. I think I should know, but I don't."

Marceline sat next to him in the muddy ground.

"Well your wrong. You do know who that is and you have been here." She whimpered. "Think Simon, think! Read the name out loud. Tell me who she is."

The ice king looked down at the grave with confusion, but did what Marceline asked.

"Betty." He said at last. "It says Betty."

"Who is Betty?" Marceline asked with tears in her eyes. "Who is she?"

"I don't—I don't—I"

Marceline pulled her arms around her knees and buried her face in them.

"I'm sorry." Said the Ice King. "I just came here because it seemed like the place to be."

A bold of lightning flashed across the sky and illuminated the grave yard.

"She left you, you know. Betty." Marceline grumbled. "She left you the first time you went on one of your fits. The FIRST time!"

The wind picked up and so did Marceline's anger. She stood face to face to the Ice king and began screaming.

"You have no idea who I am! Who have no idea who she is! Who have no idea who you are Simon. And why you ask, because of that stupid crown that's why. Every few decades you find me and then visit Betty! Why do you bother if you don't know who we are? Why can't you JUST LEAVE US ALONE?"

The ice king stood up and took a step back.

"Do I know you?" he asked sensitively.

"Of course you do. I'm Marceline remember. Marceline."

The Ice king took Marceline's hand.

"I'm sorry." He said. "Marceline, will you tell me how I know you?"

"I—you—no"

"Please." He said again. "Please Marceline."

Marceline sighed and held his hand tighter.

"Do you know about the Mushroom war?" Marceline asked.

The Ice king nodded.

"Well afterward everything was destroyed, but I was still there. When I was a kid my dad was too busy to let me live with him in the Nitosphere, so I kind of lived with my _mom_. She was just normal, nothing special, so when the bombs hit—well you get the point. I thought that my dad would come and get me from the wreckage, but he never came. I was all alone, well except for Simon. He found me. We were the only two people left. Everything else was gone, but we were okay. We set up a life on the outskirts of the city and lived in a small house. It wasn't too bad, I mean there wasn't much to do, but at least I had someone. After a while Simon began to have these fits—he would come out of them eventually, but in the meantime they were frightening. After he came back to normal, I would hide away for hours trying to figure out a way to help him. I became so scared for him and sacred of him that I decided to run away. He was having one of his fits and by the time he came back down, I was gone.

The Ice King just stared at Marceline.

" I saw Simon once again before he was no longer Simon. He found me living in a deserted subway station in the city. He apologized for everything and told me that he needed to say goodbye. I could tell he wasn't getting any better; in fact it was a thousand times worse. He told me I had to run away as far as possible from that point out. He told me that—that he never wanted to see my face again."

Marceline stopped her tale. Useless emotions flooded back to her. Simon was gone, nothing she does is going to bring him back.

"What about this girl?" Ice king said after a while. "How do I know her?"

"Betty?" Marceline asked. "She was your fiancée Simon. A weak one, but a fiancée never the less. She gave up on you when you needed her most."

"But you said—"

"I never gave up on you by choice." Marceline whispered. "I needed to."

The two sat in silence for a moment before anyone talked. The wind dyed down, but by this point both Marceline and the Ice king were soaked to the core.

"I'm sorry." The Ice King eventually said. "I'm sorry Simon wasn't there for you Marceline."

"I—"

"But," the Ice King interrupted. "I don't think you should give up on him."

Marceline sighed.

"That's what you said last time."


End file.
